Don’t Lose Sight

The more opportunities I have to live out grace by God, I am grateful. Approaching what society considers the mid of my life requires more effort to complete ordinary tasks. Never before was this so pronounced as spending the last week traveling abroad with my daughter. Allow me to represent. I held my own! Yet she walks as though she is on steroids. Part of that is attributed to her youth – the other, heredity because she walks like my mom, as though it’s a solo event even when others are present. On average, we walked 8-11 miles per day. Good that I’d been exercising. However, each day in order to meet the challenge, I had to take measures to ensure that I would persevere despite the circumstances.

Before traveling abroad, I purchased a pair of walking shoes. They were designed to endure the rugged impact of streets that were designed hundreds of years ago. I had to ensure that I handled my weight appropriately. Not too much on my left or right. I took time to recover along the way. A nap on a bus or train, closing my eyes to listen to music or reading my Bible In One Year app provided rejuvenation. Settling into the reality that although navigated differently, we still reached the same point. Often my daughter dodged around people, stepping on and off the sidewalk. I instead chose a slightly different path, yet we reached the same goal. What’s critical in this season wherever you find yourself is to not loose sight.

Before we set on each journey, we had a predetermined destination. It was shared. It was discussed. It was mutually agreed upon. If either of us separated for any number of reasons, we both knew our final place of intersect. Often times, it feels as though we are not operating in tandem with God. He’s shown us the vision, and yet our ways of bringing it to pass feel less in alignment than hoped. He shows it to us, we pray about it, we listen to his wisdom and trust that “its” done. However, it may feel as though he’s moving faster, or we are attempting to outrun or maneuver him. At times, we feel imbalanced, too much to deal with on every side. At times, he may not even be visible, or we realize that he is walking by our side. The wisdom is to recall what was mutually agreed upon and stick to the plan and perhaps more importantly believing in the plan.

Claude Monet, a French impressionist, is regarded as a magnificent artist. He is probably best known for his painting collection of Water Lilies. During my trip, I had the blessing of viewing his original work. I have to admit it was much more stunning in person than the print I secured during the poster fair on my college campus and hung proudly above my residence hall bed. Nevertheless, over the years, Monet developed cataracts, which altered his vision. However, he didn’t stop painting, he didn’t stop creating. His style changed, he used bolder colors, yet his artistry remained in tact. In other words, he persevered and did not loose sight.

Whatever you may be facing, its important to remember to never forget. Don’t forget to the promise given to you. And don’t compromise yourself to get there. Write the vision, make it plain.